I have read many of the posts in the FOOD category here. I was wondering if anyone knows how the meat was gotten.

Things that I think I know.
1. There were big Bovine markets (Constantinople)
What I don't know is where did these cattle come from.
Was it large cattle ranches? - Small farmsteads that sold their oxen to middle-men who took them by the herd to market?
Would the market have a hundred owners each trying to sell their one oxen?

2. Romans ate a lot of pork
Were there Pig Markets like there were Bovine markets?
Again, where did the pigs come from?
How did they get to market?

3. Romans ate chickens.
I know that vills raised their own fowl, but the city-dweller did not have the space. Where did all those chickens come from?
Were there chicken ranches too?

There is no record in the Empire of large farms or cattle pens of chickens and other domestic animals unfit for consumption. You have to think so for example, Latin sources tell us breeding stables, I think it is Pliny who appoints them. Similarly, it but can not remember the exact quote, and others, say that there are areas suitable for the breeding of cattle of various kinds. As such, Hispania is suitable for large animals, such as Gaul for draft animals in the field, and East to the other animals. While in Italy did exist grangas in publicus ager, field locations where there were cattle farms. The problem is that these farms are not preserved, since the only material that could be derived from their exploitation are the houses of animals, something that little or nothing has been found. Surely there are "companies" Roman exploitation linked to meat products, but the vast majority of meat consumption would be for the private sector for their own use. With butchers and markets that people buy private products. There is no record of, for example, that the imperial household had land that was exploded to bovine or cattle or fowls. The butchers, etc.. were actually family businesses, which in turn, had lands with cattle. Its production would be for retail, but always with a limited amount, not large quantities. What happened was that there were many butchers and therefore called for more territory to set up your farm. Ride it out because there was very profitable business for its high consumption insurance. But there is no evidence of large livestock production in Rome as it is today, except that it would take a lot of manpower and facilities with a high cost of bad investment in the short to medium term. I hope you used some help.

Marcvs Marcivs Aqvila

Tesserarivs of Legio XIIII GMV from Madrid-Spain. Of the Antiqva Clío Association.

I think that even there latifundia, in the Roman Empire, were privately owned and state. Furthermore the land has not been worked by slaves Romans never alone, because their economy was based on the sale and purchase of slaves, but were a production based on the work of free men mainly peasant with a percentage of slaves. What happens to the farmers by not having a fixed income and also low, went to the city leaving a field worked by slaves, hence long had a crisis in the s. III A.D. and then back again to the field to work with. But be it known, the publicus ager, but the state itself was worked by peasants in exchange for crops and make themselves part of the production to the state. But butchers, were mostly private livestock production based on their own.

Marcvs Marcivs Aqvila

Tesserarivs of Legio XIIII GMV from Madrid-Spain. Of the Antiqva Clío Association.